There are a number of safety lighting devices presently being used in connection with recreational activities such as bicycling and work activities such as highway repair as exemplifies by the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,079 shows a wearing apparel such as a hat that contains a series of LEDs, (light emitting diodes), located in perforations in the hat. A battery supplies power Control circuitry interconnects the battery and diodes to energize the diodes sequentially. A clock emits pulses for an electronic counter, a decoder takes the counter input and controls which diodes are to be sequentially illuminated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,568 is an example of a nightime safety headgear such as a soft cap with a visor and a molded plastic unit supporting two antenna protrusions, each having three LEDs and a single safety light centered in the plastic unit in front of the cap. The LEDs are powered by an electrical system molded directly into the unit and powered by a 3 volt battery. A button on top of the cap activates an On-Off switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,373 illustrates a motorcycle helmet containing an automatic brake light which shines when the brake pedal is depressed. A transmitter is attached to the motorcycle, and a receiver which activates the light is attached to the helmet. A transmitter encoder and a receiver decoder prevent spurious sources of radio frequency from activating the receiver. A code card is used to guarantee that both encoder and decoder are in synchronization.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,736 depicts a rigid helmet having a lens whose surface is flush with the surrounding surface in close proximity to the lens. Three signal lights shine through and about the lens for giving tail, brake and directional directions to following motorists at eye level. The helmet may be equipped with a cable coupled to the cycle on which the wearer rides or the helmet may be telemetered to the cycle by a radio module in the helmet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,099 is a motorcycle helmet with a rearward facing auxiliary brake lamp fastened to the cycle, spaced from and connected optically or sonically to a motorcycle brake lamp. The auxiliary lamp is activated by the illumination of the brake lamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,409 depicts an illuminated safety helmet that has a protective core and a plurality of LEDs with at least an intensity of 1000 mcd is placed around the core for sequential lighting. The control circuitry includes an oscillator with a ring counter and transistors enclosed in a housing. A power source of series connected batteries activates the control circuitry and LEDs. The housing is electrically connected to the LEDs and is removably attached to the protective core. An impact resistant shell or a skin of stretchable material is disposed in the internal or external surface of the protective core.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,358 teaches a universal LED safety light for head wear. The LEDs are mounted on a flexible plate. The plate is one of the straps of a length adjustable belt provided at the rear of the cap. The strap is stitched to the rear of the cap an dused for length adjustment. A circuit board containing a battery, an integrated circuit for triggering the LEDs and an On-Off switch is secured to the cap with "Velcro" .TM..
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,027 illustrates an LED Display for a protective helmet which can either be added to existing helmets or incorporated in a newly manufactured helmet. The LEDs are coupled to a 9 volt battery in the helmet or a bicycle mounted generator via a cord. The LEDs can be lit simultaneously or sequentially by a computer chip.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,294 shows a strip sport light with a center strip and two arm strips with multiple light sources for illumination of a center strip and blinking of the side strips dependent on the position of the switch. The center strip contains an electronic printed circuit board and a three step push button switch. The strip sport light may be mounted on a bicycle helmet or on a users head or waist.
The prior art shows various displays of lights or LEDs to be arranged on a helmet or on strips to be placed on a users head or other wearing apparel. The lighting displays are used for safety and ornamental purposes. Whatever the type of apparatus the minimum circuitry required is a PCB. In general however, there are other elements such as 3 way switches, clocks, a plurality of batteries or a nine volt battery, counters, coders, decoders, etc. While these devices have greater flexibility, in that lighting arrangements can be made for steady state, blinking and sequential lighting as well as variable lighting rates, they are considerably more expensive and cumbersome because of the additional circuitry. Another factor to be considered is the problem of repair if one or more of the elements becomes defective.
Accordingly it is an objective of this invention to design a safety and ornamental lighting device to be used on helmets and the like that is simpler in construction.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a lighting device that is less costly for the potential purchaser.
It is a further object of this invention to design a lighting device for a helmet and the like which is lighter and more comfortable to wear.
It is additionally an object of this invention to design a device that is attractive, efficient and less likely to need repair.